The year 2022 was a challenging time for our church. Over and above the pandemic, there was a leadership vacuum that had our elders doing this and that, trying to fill in where there were gaps.
But the Lord never leaves gaps unattended too long. He closes them. And he fixed those gaps with three young pastors whom he lined up to help with His ministries.
I now reflect, with much gratitude, on how all this happened in God’s own time. I am leaving out the details as this blog is not about disgrace but the opposite—the grace that comes just when we need it, and plucks us out of the tragic to bring us to epic (a term young people today use to mean: awesome).
These three gap-closers were seen together one day having a tete-a-tete. Their photos were uploaded to FB and Mitch, a faith sister, quickly called them. “The Three Pasketeers!”
It's a perfect pun on Alexandre Dumas’ book, “The Three Musketeers.”
The similarity, however, ends with the word three. Our pastors' task was to join hands with the church board to keep the transition in God’s work seamless. Let me call it a grace triad.
Because they are young and upbeat . . .
• the youth and children are drawn to them; and the older ones spare nothing to support them;
• their messages are down-to-earth, earnest, and authentic;
• they unabashedly ask for help where they feel they have failings;
• their youthful energy and passion in serving the Lord is palpable, as they enliven our worship services;
• their work ethic is collegial, acceptive of suggestions for growth.
How refreshing to work alongside them!
We all know that feeling when we work alone. We get exhausted and burned out. Why? Because God never meant it to be that way.
In Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT), God tells us, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” When we work as a team, we get so much more done. Plus, having open and receptive teammates is fun and encouraging.
A special energy comes from being part of a shared mission for Jesus. Just in time last year, The Three Pasketeers joined God’s Mission team in our church at crunch time.
In our faith journey, we cannot do everything alone. We need other people to walk with us, just as those people also need us. As we share the burden of our work with fellow Christians, we can actually accomplish more for God.
This, to me, is what The Three Pasketeers symbolize. Bonded together, we respond to Jesus’ call for us to be one, working hand-in-hand in a circle for His glory. 
“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus." Romans 15:5-6
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